All Because of a Tree
by Shadow of the Forgotten
Summary: Hiei meets his match in a human woman while visiting his favorite tree. Let's see just how far under Hiei's skin this new girl can get. As requested I have made this into it's own story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything affiliated with said show. Though I do own Ani and her witty comments.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

**BEEP**

**BE-**

"Dammit, I'm up all ready." A female's voice grumbled from underneath her black comforter. Sitting up, the almost 18 year old threw her blanket off of her body and stared at the clock that said it was barely 6 o'clock in the morning. Standing up, she yawned before stretching the kinks out of her back. Running a hand through her chin length black and red streaked hair, the 5'11" high school senior grumbled about stupid alarm clocks and the annoying brothers that set them. Opening her closet she found a pair of black cargo pants that she had decorated with assorted types of chains and put them on. Moving to her dresser she pulled on a tight black t-shirt that said _If You Were Twice as Smart, You'd Still be Stupid_. She grabbed her favorite combat boots and headed out of her room. Usually she'd get revenge on her brother for waking her up on a Saturday, but today she just felt like walking through the park. When she got to the kitchen she left her mom a brief note explaining where she was, and took off down the street.

Suddenly her cell phone started ringing. "Hello, this is Ani speaking. Who are ya and what do you want?" She answered politely.

"Hey Ani." A soft voice replied giggling. "Don't you think you should stop answering your phone that way?"

"Heh, hell no Keiko. It's my phone and I'll answer it how I want." Ani replied smiling. Then she thought about what time it was and freaked. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING CALLING MY CELL THIS EARLY IN THE FREAKING MORNING?" She screamed at her best friend.

Gulping, Keiko tried to calm down her angered friend. "W-well I figured that your brother would pull his famous stunt and that you'd already be awake. You were awake, right?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I was." Ani said trying to hold back her laughter. Keiko was just too easy to goad. "So getting back on subject, what exactly did you call me for?"

"Huh…Oh yeah, I called to see if you'd like to go on a double date with me and Yusuke tonight." Keiko replied happily. Yusuke has been her boyfriend for two years now and they loved spending time together.

Ani stopped walking and almost dropped her phone. "I must not have heard you right." She said dazedly. "It sounded like you asked if I wanted to go out on a date with you and your boy toy."

Laughing nervously, Keiko tried to come up with something to say that would not make her friend hang up on her. "Hehe, well you see…Yusuke has this friend that he thinks might get along well with you, and being as how you think all the guys around you are complete morons I figured I'd help set you up with someone different." Cringing, she waited for her friends' explosion.

"YOU WHAT?" Ani yelled. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULD BE WILLING TO GO ON A DATE WITH SOME STRANGE GUY?"

"Now don't be like that Ani, it's only a few friends going out together. So it's not like an actual date." Keiko said pleadingly. "And like I said before, he's Yusuke's close friend so please calm down." And then, knowing it would get her friend to cave, she began to pout. "But, I suppose if you don't want to I could try to find someone else."

Growling, Ani hung her head. She hated when Keiko started pouting, it makes her agree to just about anything. Sighing she replied. "Fine, I'll go with you and Yusuke tonight. But don't expect me to enjoy it."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me. Well, I'll come to your house tonight at 8pm and we can carpool to the restaurant. Thanks again." Keiko chirped as she hung up.

Ani stared at her phone stupidly. 'What have I gotten myself into now?' She thought to herself. Shaking her head, she continued her walk to the park. When she got there she headed towards a secluded area that no one ever went to. She had found it a few years ago when she was wandering around the town. Walking through some hedges, she saw her spot. It was a clearing almost completely circular in size and it had a huge tree in the center. Whenever she came here she would just lounge around under the tree and bask in the sunlight. Lying down in a comfortable spot, Ani let her eyes drift shut.

Suddenly her sun became blocked and a cold voice spoke. "Move now."

Opening her eyes, she saw a somewhat short man dressed all in black, with a white bandana on his forehead and black hair that stood straight up in the air. He was glaring at her. As she stared at the man who interrupted her nap, she began to get pissed. "Who the hell died and made you boss shorty?" She asked, glaring at him heatedly.

Hiei was beyond pissed. First he had to listen to Yusuke beg about going out with him and Keiko, and now a _human_ was in _his_ spot. Not only that, but she had just called him short. Clenching his fists so as not to wring her puny neck, he growled softly. "This is my tree human, now leave."

Ani just looked at the annoying pest and smiled. Usually she'd just get into a fist fight and end the argument quickly, but seeing the look on the man's face she decided to have a little fun with him. "Awe, how sweet. And how long have the two of you been dating?"

Hiei froze. Had she just…yes she did. She dared to imply that _he_ was dating a tree. His growl became louder.

She just smirked. It seemed like the pest was getting annoyed. Good, now he knows how she felt when he oh so rudely interrupted her cat nap. "So what's her name?" Ani asked, trying not to bust out laughing.

His growling continued to get louder and his eyebrow began twitching. 'How. Dare. She.' Hiei thought furiously. Gritting his teeth, he tried to calm down. But unfortunately, she opened her mouth again.

Faking a pout, Ani said "Fine, don't tell me." Then putting a finger on her chin in thought, she smiled. "I know I'll call her Treela."

Hiei clenched his hands into fists and screamed. "SILENCE!"

Ani blinked, and then began to smirk again. "You shouldn't yell like that around your girlfriend, she might get scared."

Snarling, Hiei decided to leave before he ripped the annoying humans head off.

Once the annoying little man had left, Ani let her laughter out. It had been so funny to see him practically red in the face with his anger. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stood up and headed back towards her house. She had a lot of chores to do before Keiko came to get her later that night. Humming a tune to herself, she continued on her way.

oooooRestaurant—Later that night

Ani pulled her '74 Mustang into a parking place at the new Italian Restaurant. Stepping out of the car, she made sure her baby was locked up and then followed Keiko inside. While Keiko gave the hostess their names, Ani sat down on the bench and let her eyes wander around. It wasn't a fancy place, but she began to think that maybe she should have worn something other than what Keiko dubbed her 'punk' outfit. It consisted of baggy black pants that had tears and holes all over with fishnet stockings underneath, a black shirt that had fake blood running down the side and her boots. 'Nah.' Ani thought after seeing all the cautious glances she was receiving. 'Who cares what they think.'

"Come on Ani, the boys are already here." Keiko said as cheerful as ever as she walked towards her friend. Grabbing Ani's hand, she practically dragged her through the restaurant as she followed the hostess to their table. During the short trip to the back of the restaurant Ani continually tried to pry Keiko's hands off her arm, but after failing for the fifth time, she gave up.

"Here's your table, ladies." The hostess said politely as she bowed and took her leave.

Keiko said a quick thank you before releasing her friends hand and hugging her boyfriend Yusuke. "I missed you Yusuke." She said as he smiled down at her. Then remembering she wasn't alone she turned around to introduce Ani, when suddenly the man sitting next to Yusuke jumped up from his seat and growled.

"YOU!" The man dressed in black bit out. "What are you doing here you stupid human?"

To everyone's surprise Ani just stood there with a smirk on her face and an evil glint in her eyes. "Well, well, if it isn't the cat nap caper. I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend?"

Yusuke and Keiko's mouths dropped open and their eyes began to widen. "Hiei has a girlfriend?" Keiko asked bewildered. Then, glaring at her boyfriend she poked him in the chest. "Why did you have me invite Ani if your friend is already dating someone?"

Yusuke blinked and tried to wrap his mind around the news. Needless to say, it wasn't working too well. "Look Keiko, I had no idea that Hiei was already taken. This is the first I've heard about it." Turning to look at his friend, his eyes narrowed. "How come you didn't say anything?" He growled out.

Hiei just stood there dumbstruck. They actually believed this humans story about him having a girlfriend. What was wrong with those two? Deciding that he better say something to diffuse the situation, he opened his mouth to speak. But once again, _she_ beat him to it.

Ani watched as Keiko and Yusuke turned on the guy named Hiei. Seeing the dumb look on his face she decided to stop her fun. Besides, he looked as if he might destroy the place if the conversation continued any longer. So she spoke up. "Chill out you two; it was just a little joke between the two of us, riiiiight?" She said as she dared Hiei to deny it.

"Hn. Yes, just a joke." Hiei said as he plopped down in his seat still glaring at Ani.

"O…K…" Yusuke said as he sat back down with Keiko. Suddenly Keiko's eyes widened and she slightly jumped. "Oh my, I'm so sorry I forgot to introduce you." She said to Ani. "Ani this is Hiei, Hiei this is Ani." Keiko said smiling. Seeing both parties nod in understanding, she motioned for Yusuke to order.

After the initial fight, dinner went by fairly smoothly with only a few minor insults being thrown back and forth. From there Keiko decided that they should go for a moonlit stroll through the park to which everyone agreed, albeit some of them reluctantly.

Ani had to admit she had had quite a bit of fun this evening. Never before had she gotten so much pleasure from arguing with another person. It was just so enjoyable to see the different facial expressions Hiei went through during the course of the night. And if she was reading him right he was beginning to enjoy it as much as she was. Looking up at the moon, she smiled. It was such a perfect night to be outside. Turning to face her best friend and her boyfriend, she sighed. They would definitely like some alone time. Nodding her head at her decision, Ani grabbed onto Hiei's hand. "Hey you two, we'll catch ya later ok?" She said as she dragged him off towards another part of the park.

Keiko smiled as she watched her friend drag off a stunned Hiei. That was so like her. Trying to make sure that everyone else was happy. Smiling up at Yusuke, she leaned against his chest as they stared up at the stars.

"What are you doing human?" Hiei growled as he jerked his hand away from hers.

Holding her hands up in surrender Ani sighed. "Chill out. I was just giving those two love birds some space. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Nodding, Hiei stood staring at her. "I will stay with you since I have nothing better to do with my time."

Ani snorted. "You sure know how to make someone feel wanted don't you?" She asked sarcastically. "But it doesn't make any difference to me what you do so, whatever." She shrugged her shoulders as she finished. Turning her back to him, she started walking towards a familiar row of bushes. Slipping between them, she walked over to her tree and plopped down beneath it. Seeing Hiei's wary eyes on her, she smiled. "Don't worry about it I'm not going to start the whole Treela thing again. Besides, I hear she likes someone else anyway." Ani said smirking.

Hearing her last comment, Hiei smirked as well. "I have never met anyone quite like you before human." He said almost politely. "Tonight has been almost, enjoyable."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." Ani said with a smile. "Though I must admit, I did enjoy myself. It was fun messing with you. Oh, and I do apologize about the whole incident at the restaurant, however you did sort of start it so…"

"I was just surprised to see you, that's all." Hiei said shaking his head. "It is not everyday that a human manages to get me as pissed off as you did. Seeing you at the restaurant just brought all of my anger back to the surface."

Laughing, Ani smiled. "I understand. I get that from a lot of people." Looking up at the moon, her smile widened. "So, you wanna hang out again sometime?"

Looking at her prone figure, Hiei gave a small smile. There were worse things he could be doing. Leaning back against the tree, he nodded. "Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything affiliated with said show. Though I do own Ani and her witty comments.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

The two continued to sit in comfortable silence until Ani suddenly sat up. Grinning in a way that can only be described as eerie, she spoke. "I've got a great idea, why don't we go and _spy_ on the two lovebirds." She said.

Raising an eyebrow, Hiei scoffed. "Watching two humans cuddle is _not_ my idea of a good time." He said.

"You say that now, but I bet you're one of those guys who secretly loves kittens and other _cute_ things." Ani said with a smirk. Seeing Hiei flinch, she started to laugh. "You're such an easy target."

Hiei narrowed his eyes in response.

"But seriously." Ani said after a pause. "What do you want to do, it's only 10 p.m." When her silent partner shrugged, she sighed. "Wow, some help you are. No wonder Treela left you, you're a bore." Hearing a growl, Ani put her hands up in surrender. "Chill out, it was just a joke…well, not the 'you being a bore' part."

Giving his companion his fiercest glare, Hiei wasn't really surprised to see that it had no effect on her. "I have never met a human quite like you before." He muttered. 'And I hope I never do again.'

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ani said with a smile before turning serious once more. "Now back to the problem at hand, what are we going to do for the rest of the night? We could go to a club downtown, but you'd probably kill someone." She said as she tapped her chin in thought. "The arcade's out since you don't look like much of a gamer. Hmmm, how about a movie? There should still be a couple of shows playing now."

Raising an eyebrow, Hiei merely shrugged. He supposed anything was better than spending another night on Kurama's windowsill.

"You know, if you keep talking so much I may just have to pull out the duct tape." Ani said, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Shut up woman." Hiei said as he grabbed Ani's hand and pulled her out of their little alcove.

"And here I was beginning to think that you didn't like me." Ani said as she batted her eyelashes in mock cuteness. "But you're really just the shy type huh."

Dropping her hand as if he'd been burned, Hiei clenched his fists.

"Haahaha!" Ani laughed. "You should really see your face, it's priceless." Before Hiei could respond, she continued. "Ok, off to the theater we go." And once again Ani grabbed his hand and drug him off.

'What did I do to deserve this?' Hiei asked himself, but he couldn't stop the small smile tugging at his lips.

10 minutes later, the duo found themselves outside a small theater. Walking up to the 'now playing' screen, Ani looked for a show that would be starting soon. When she turned to face Hiei with a gleam in her eye, Hiei paled slightly. "Well, we've got two options." She said. "Do you want to see something scary, or something downright horrifying?"

Looking at the odd woman before him, Hiei smirked. "Horrifying." He said as he waited for her reaction. However, it wasn't quite what he'd been looking for.

Chuckling darkly, Ani grinned. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua it is then." She said as she turned back to the ticket window.

"W-WHAT?!" Hiei practically screamed.

"Well you did say you wanted to see something horrifying." Ani said with a smirk.

"B-but…" Hiei suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

"I'm just messing with you." Ani said as she watched the spiky haired man sputter. "I figured we'd go and see The Strangers."

Taking a breath, Hiei once again questioned his sanity.

Meanwhile, Ani had turned back towards the window. "Hey, I'd like two tickets for The Stranger please." She said as she pulled out her wallet.

The man glanced between the two in front of him before smiling somewhat sexily at the woman that now stood at the window. "You know, if he's too cheap to pay for your date, you can always ditch him and hang out with me." He said.

Ani wasn't sure which was funnier, Hiei growling and looking pissed off over a little comment, or the idiot in front of her who was stupid enough to say something like that in front of said dangerous looking man. In the end, she decided it would probably be best if she stopped the situation from escalating instead of laughing her ass off. "One, it's not a date." Ani said, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "And two, give me my tickets or I'll talk to your manager. Then you won't have to worry about dating anyone since you won't have any money."

Gulping, the man quickly handed over the tickets.

With a smile Ani handed one to Hiei and they started inside. Pausing, Ani leaned towards the window. "Oh, and one more thing." She said evilly. "I'd be careful walking alone at night, my _friend_ can be a _little_ dangerous." Smirking as she watched the man pale, she followed after Hiei.

"What was that all about?" Hiei asked mildly curious.

"Oh, nothing." Ani said suspiciously. "Come on, the movie starts soon."

ooooo

"Humans really are despicable creatures." Hiei said as they walked out of the theater.

"For once, I agree with that statement." Ani said as they started heading back towards the park where her car was parked. "I mean yeah it would be a blast to scare someone you know like that, but to do that to complete strangers…that's just messed up."

"Hn." Was Hiei's only response as they continued on in silence.

When they arrived at the car, Ani smiled. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight, I had fun." Seeing Hiei's nod, she rolled her eyes. "Well, whenever you get bored and want to do this again, Yusuke's got my cell number." Giving Hiei a quick peck on the cheek, Ani climbed into her car and headed home.

Blushing slightly, Hiei brought his fingers to his cheek. "Perhaps I will give her a call tomorrow." He said softly as a genuine smile graced his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything affiliated with said show. Though I do own Ani and her witty comments.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

Days passed and still Hiei could not bring himself to ask Yusuke for Ani's number. It's not that he hadn't enjoyed himself, not that he would admit that out loud…and most of the time he refused to believe he actually thought it, but calling someone up to see if they wanted to hang out was just too much of a 'human' thing to do. And Hiei was definitely _not_ human.

Glancing up from his schoolwork, Kurama shook his head as he watched Hiei tap his fingers on the windowsill he was currently perched on. Placing his pencil down, Kurama cleared his throat to gain the fire apparitions attention. "Usually I don't mind you sitting there all day, but that tapping is beginning to get on my nerves." He said as he nodded towards the still tapping fingers.

Hiei blinked and looked down at his hand like it was an alien being and not a part of his body. Clenching his fist, he placed his hand on his leg and looked out the window before answering with his standard response. "Hn."

Kurama rolled his eyes at his stubborn friend. "If you want to go and see Ani that much, then just go, no one's stopping you." He said as he turned back to his work. When Hiei remained sitting there quietly, Kurama sighed. "So you find a human girl interesting, it's not that big of a deal. I know you seem to think that all humans are pathetic and not worth your time, and now that you've found one that you actually seem to…" He paused when Hiei sent him a glare. "…enjoy spending time with you're afraid you're being tainted in some way, but did you ever stop to think that maybe this is a good thing." Ignoring Hiei's snort, Kurama continued. "I'm serious Hiei. You can't keep spending your days sitting on my windowsill and hoping that the tod-…Koenma will give you a mission. That's no way to live your life. Besides, I know that you truly like being here with us, even if you do vehemently deny it. So why not just give the girl a chance, it's not like you're agreeing to mate her or anything you're simply hanging out with someone who's caught your interest. And who knows, maybe it'll turn into something more." When Hiei's eyes narrowed, Kurama held up his hands in surrender. "I was only kidding; you don't need to glare at me like that." 'Ok, so I wasn't kidding, but he doesn't need to know that.' He thought with a small smile. 'I'm sure he'll thank me for pushing him like this later…either that or he'll kill me for it.'

When Hiei continued to sit there looking out the window, Kurama sighed and picked up his phone. After several rings, a somewhat annoyed voice answered. "Hey Yusuke, this is Kurama." He said, glancing over at Hiei before getting up and leaving the room. "I've got something I want you to do for me."

As Kurama's voice faded away down the hallway, Hiei rested his head against the window and closed his eyes. 'Damn that fox and his ability to read people, I can't keep anything from him.' He thought in mild annoyance. 'And now he feels the need to give me advice. What's next, is he going to set me up on a date with Ani too?'

Kurama came back into his room a few minutes later and hung up his phone. Glancing at Hiei out of the corner of his eye, Kurama smiled as he sat back down and began to work on his report once more. "Oh, by the way Hiei." Kurama said without looking up from his papers. "I have invited Yusuke over for dinner tonight and he'll probably be bringing Keiko."

"And why are you telling me this?" Hiei asked, his eyebrow rising in question.

"Because the last time I invited him over and didn't tell you you got mad at me for not informing you earlier so you could leave. I think you mentioned something about 'not wanting to deal with the annoying big mouth and his equally annoying girlfriend'." Kurama replied with a small grin. "And even though I know you secretly like them, I figured I'd be nice and give you a chance to try and uphold your 'I hate the world and the pathetic humans that inhabit it' image."

Hiei growled at his soon to be ex-friend and slid off the windowsill. Opening his mouth to decline, or more accurately to tell the fox to go to hell, Hiei paused and thought about it for a second. 'It's not like I have anything better to do and maybe I can subtly convince Yusuke or Keiko to have Ani meet up with me.' He thought before nodding. "I have nothing better to do so I shall force myself to put up with your guys' company." He stated before climbing out onto the tree beside Kurama's window.

"Then I'll see you tonight." Kurama said before chuckling quietly as Hiei disappeared out of sight. Leaning back in his chair, Kurama smirked at his own brilliant idea. 'Now I can meet Ani for myself and maybe make Hiei jealous at the same time. Dinner should be rather entertaining.' He thought as he proceeded to finish up his schoolwork.

ooooo

When Hiei got to Kurama's house that evening, he contemplated going in through the fox's window, but decided against it since Kurama would most likely be in the kitchen. Pushing open the front door, not bothering to knock or say 'hello', Hiei walked into the house and headed through the living room to the kitchen. As predicted, Kurama was busy setting the table and doing something with the pans on the stove. Sniffing the air, Hiei sat down at the table and crossed his arms.

"Hello Hiei, I see you made yourself at home." Kurama said without looking up from the food he was preparing. Hearing Hiei grunt in response, Kurama pulled out a large bowl and began to place the pasta in it before pouring the sauce and meat over it and placing it on the table next to the salad he'd finished earlier. Just as he was reaching for the bread he'd put in the oven, Kurama heard a knock on the door. "Hiei, would you please let Yusuke in, I'm a little busy here."

"Hn." Hiei said as he stood up and headed towards the door. Turning the knob, he pulled the door open and turned around, heading back towards the kitchen without so much as a word in greeting. He only made it a few steps before someone's voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You know, generally it's considered polite to say hello to your guests."

Turning around, Hiei glared at the girl he couldn't stop thinking about. "Hn." He said as he crossed his arms and glared at the woman that stood next to Keiko and Yusuke.

"Wow, what an eloquent thing to say." Ani said sarcastically as she followed a smirking Yusuke and chuckling Keiko inside the house. "Do you quote Shakespeare as well?"

Hiei's eyes flashed dangerously, but before he could resort to violence Yusuke placed his hand on his shoulder to gain his attention. "So I assume Kurama is in the kitchen?" Yusuke asked as a means of distraction. Seeing Hiei's nod, Yusuke smiled and grabbed Keiko's hand before waving Ani after them.

With a smirk, Ani walked past Hiei and followed Keiko and Yusuke into the kitchen. Seeing a cute red-head finishing up the table settings, she stood next to Keiko and awaited the introductions.

Yusuke watched as Kurama stood up and he turned his head slightly towards where Ani was standing. "Kurama this is Ani, Ani this is my friend Kurama. He and Hiei are kinda like roommates." He said as he pulled out a chair for Keiko and then sat down himself.

"It's nice to meet you Ani, I've heard so much about you." Kurama said as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Smirking when he saw Hiei's eyes narrow, Kurama decided to push it just a little bit further. Pulling out a chair, he motioned for the girl to sit.

"It's nice to meet you too." Ani said with a slight blush as she took the offered seat. "And thanks for inviting me over for dinner; I hope it wasn't an inconvenience."

"Of course not." Kurama said, giving Ani a smile as he sat down in the seat next to her and moved his chair ever so slightly closer. "We're all friends here, or at least we will be by the end of the night right?"

"Right." Ani said, returning his smile with one of her own.

Glancing covertly at Hiei, Keiko couldn't help but smile. It was obvious the little fire apparition was at least partially interested in her friend, now all they had to do was make him see that. Next to her Yusuke was thinking along those same lines and he hoped that Kurama's plan worked out. "Well now that the introductions are over, what say we eat." Yusuke said. "I'm starved."

"Of course, please do." Kurama said as he reached over and picked up the bowl of pasta. Turning to Ani, he smiled. "Would you like some?" He asked as he pulled some out of the bowl for her.

"Thanks." Ani said as she held up her plate for him to dish the food out on.

Seeing the smiles passing between Kurama and Ani made Hiei nearly growl. 'How dare he flirt with her, she's mine.' Eyes widening, Hiei quickly berated his train of thought. 'What was I thinking, I only enjoy hanging out with her, I don't _want_ her. That would be crazy.' Shaking his head to clear his mind of anymore strange thoughts, Hiei took the bowl when it was offered to him and began to fill his plate.

They all ate in silence for awhile until Kurama noticed a piece of spaghetti on the corner of Ani's mouth. Glancing over at Hiei to make sure he was paying attention, Kurama took his napkin and reached over to gently wipe it off. When Ani raised an eyebrow at the action, he merely smiled and said. "You had a noodle on your face."

"Oh, thanks." Ani replied. "I didn't even realize it was there."

That was the last straw. Pushing his chair back, Hiei stood up abruptly and headed towards the front door before anyone had a chance to say a word. Walking outside, Hiei proceeded to jump up on a low hanging branch in a tree outside the house. Leaning back against the trunk, he beat his head against the tree several times. 'I can't believe I just took off like that.' He thought angrily. 'That's something a human would do.' Glaring back at the kitchen window, Hiei growled lowly. 'But it was all Kurama's fault for flirting with her like that. First he tells me to go after her, then he goes and flirts with her right in front of me.'

Ani's eyes followed Hiei as he made his rather dramatic exit and she placed down her fork before standing up as well. "I think I'll go talk to him and see what's wrong." She said as she headed out after her spiky haired friend.

Meanwhile back at the table, Yusuke and Keiko were covering their chuckles behind their hands while Kurama looked very pleased with himself. "I'd say that went rather well." Kurama said as his other guests smiled and went back to their food. Who knew how long the two of them would be out there.

Once outside, Ani suddenly realized that she had no idea where Hiei might have gone and that maybe she should head back inside and forget about him. Suddenly she heard what sounded like a thump in the large tree in front of her. Walking under one of the branches Ani looked up and sure enough Hiei was sitting up there beating his head against the tree. "I should have known you'd be in a tree, you seem to have some kind of obsession with them." Ani said with a smirk. "Though I must say, Treela would be very upset to find out that you are not a one tree man."

Hiei stopped his head before it could hit the tree again and looked down at the woman below him. Shaking his head, he began to chuckle. "You definitely know how to lighten the mood don't you." He said as he hopped off the branch he was resting on.

"What can I say, it's a gift." Ani said with a shrug.

Shaking his head, Hiei shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. "I'm not sure what to make of you." He said after several moments of silence. "Usually when you talk I want to rip your head off for insulting me, but then I can't help but wonder what crazy things are going to come out of your mouth next. You are a conundrum."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ani said with a grin. Silenced reigned over them for several more minutes before Ani remembered why she came out there to begin with. "Hey Hiei, why'd you run out like that?" She asked curiously. "I mean one minute we're all eating happily and the next you just storm off."

Sighing, Hiei looked over at Ani from the corner of his eye. 'What can I say; I left because I was jealous. Yeah, that'd go over well.' He thought with a snort. When Ani faced him and cocked her head in question, he sighed again. "It was nothing; I was just annoyed with Kurama." Hiei said.

Raising her eyebrow, Ani gave Hiei a look that said she clearly didn't believe what he was saying. When he failed to elaborate, Ani shook her head in annoyance. "Come on, tell me the truth." She said. "Kurama didn't do anything to you all evening; he was talking with me most of the time."

Hiei's eyes fell to the look at the ground and he clamped his mouth shut. He wasn't going to say another word.

Ani threw her hands up in the air and groaned. "This is ridiculous, I thought we were friends." She said somewhat angrily. "Why won't you tell me anything? Did I do something to upset you, is that why you won't tell me what's wrong?" Taking a breath, she sighed. "How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what's wrong?"

"You can't help me." Hiei muttered under his breath.

"I could if you'd let me know what you're problem is." Ani replied as she placed her hands on her hips. "But nooo, you have to act all macho and crap and keep your problems to yourself. Nothing ever gets solved that way."

Blinking, Hiei was surprised to hear a response since he was sure he'd spoke quietly last time, but he didn't have time to think about it any longer since Ani continued on with her rant.

"If you keep all your problems bottled up inside they'll eat you away. You need to talk to people about things; no one can go through everything alone." Ani said sternly. "And I don't care if you think you can deal with everything you-." Ani's eyes widened as Hiei kissed her harshly, before slowly sliding shut in contentment.

Smirking into the kiss, Hiei mentally pat himself on the back for finally managing to get the annoying woman to shut up. Or at least that's why he was telling himself he was kissing her. The fact that he was enjoying the kiss was simply a bonus.

Pulling away, Ani eyed Hiei questioningly. "Um, what was that for?" She asked softly, licking her now dry lips.

Hiei simply shrugged. "It got you to be quiet." He said nonchalantly. Seeing her eyes narrow, Hiei quickly got the impression that he probably shouldn't have said that.

"You kissed me to make me shut up!" Ani said through clenched teeth. "That's it? How dare you, you don't go around kissing people for no reason! It's insulting and really pisses me off!" Her fists were clenched and her hand moved before she could even think about what she was doing.

Catching the fist that was aimed for his face, Hiei held it tightly so she wouldn't try it again. Staring at Ani, who currently looked like she was ready to kill him, Hiei grabbed her other hand and pulled her in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he sighed when she began to struggle.

"Let me go dammit." Ani bit out. "I don't want to be anywhere near you."

Gripping Ani's hands tighter, Hiei's eyes softened. "I'm sorry." He said suddenly, causing both Ani and himself to freeze. 'I can't believe I just said that.' He thought to himself. 'I really have been around humans too much.' Taking another deep breath, he continued. "You want to know why I'm out here, I'll tell you. It's because I was tired of watching Kurama flirt with you." When Ani only blinked at him, he rolled his eyes. "I was jealous ok, I kinda like you and he was flirting with you to piss me off."

"…you like me?" Ani asked quietly.

Not willing to repeat himself, lest he sound even _more_ human, Hiei nodded.

"So then the kiss…" Ani blushed and her voice trailed off.

Nodding again, Hiei waited for her reaction.

"Then you actually wanted to kiss me?" Ani asked, the blush spreading across her face. Seeing another nod, Ani shyly smiled before leaning up to timidly kiss him.

Dropping Ani's fists, Hiei wrapped one arm around her waist and the other went to pull her head closer to his. When the kiss ended they were both holding each other and breathing heavily. Smiling at the woman in his arms, Hiei pulled her closer and nuzzled his nose into her neck. Taking a deep breath, he smiled and held her tighter.

"So, does this mean we're going out now?" Ani asked with a grin. Hearing Hiei's slight chuckle, her grin widened and she burrowed into his chest even more. Several minutes passed in comfortable silence when Ani suddenly spoke up. "I hope you're a one woman man, cause I'm not as nice as Treela. She's all bark and no bite, whereas I'm all bite." She said with a smirk as Hiei began to laugh.

"You are very strange." Hiei said, shaking his head. "Very strange indeed."

Back inside by the kitchen window, Kurama, Yusuke and Keiko looked at each other and grinned. "Well it looks like everything ended up just fine." Keiko said happily. "I knew they would be good for each other." Pulling the other two towards the table, she smiled. "Well how about we start dessert, they're going to be out there for awhile so we should go ahead without them."

Smiling at his girlfriend, Yusuke silently wished the two lovebirds' good luck before helping Kurama with the food. 'They're going to need all the luck in the world with the tempers those two have.' He thought with a grin.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Yu Yu Hakusho or anything affiliated with said show. Though I do own Ani and her witty comments.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

3 Years Later

Ani glanced around the small store and sighed for the tenth time. Resting her head on her arms, she watched Keiko and her mother scurry about the store pulling out dress after dress, eyeing them critically and then promptly putting them back. Rolling her eyes, Ani couldn't help but smile softly. Deciding to get up and help, lest she be stuck in the tiny store for another 2 hours, Ani stretched the kinks out of her back and headed over to her friend and her friends mom, aka mom number two. "So have you guys had any luck yet?" Ani asked.

"Well mom found one that is nice, but it's not quite what I'm looking for." Keiko said quickly. "It's just not 'the perfect wedding dress'." Pulling out yet another dress only to shove it back on the rack seconds later, Keiko sighed dramatically. "At this rate I'll never find my dress."

"Don't worry dear; I'm sure we'll find it. We just need to keep looking." Her mother said as she continued to look through the dresses. "And if we don't find it here, there are several more stores we can look at."

Shaking her head, Ani began to slowly walk around the store. Running her eyes over the dresses one by one, she suddenly paused and headed over to a rack in the far corner. Picking up the hanger, Ani looked at the sleeveless silk dress with a beaded rose pattern going around the bodice, and smiled. 'This is it.' She thought happily as she turned around to show it to her friend. "Keiko, check out this dress." Ani said as she handed the hanger over.

Keiko's eyes widened and she smiled brightly. "It's perfect!" She exclaimed happily. "I love it!" Throwing her arms around Ani, Keiko hugged her friend tightly. "Thank you so much!"

"Eh, what are friends for." Ani said with a shrug as she backed away from her hyper friend and her even more hyper mother. "I think I'll wait over here while you go and buy it." Chuckling when she didn't even get a response, Ani walked over to the front of the store and stared out the large window. As she heard the excited chatter getting louder, Ani turned around and smiled at her friend. Without a word, the three women walked out of the store and headed home, Keiko's precious outfit held lovingly in her arms.

ooooo1 Month Later—Wedding

"I do." Keiko and Yusuke said as they stood smiling at the altar.

"You may now kiss the bride." The preacher said to the young couple before him.

The small group of guests applauded as the couple kissed, and when Yusuke twirled and dipped Keiko laughter erupted all around.

"Leave it to Yusuke to make people laugh at a wedding." Kurama said as Kuwabara walked up and gave Yusuke a congratulatory slap on the back, which unfortunately led to them rolling around on the floor in a playful fight.

"Hn." Was Hiei's response as he barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at the stupid humans he was _friends_ with.

Throwing an arm around the black haired man, Ani smiled at Kurama. "Well it wouldn't be Yusuke otherwise." She said with a grin as she watched Keiko hit both men upside the head. "Well I've got to go and save the guys from Keiko's wrath, see ya." And with that she headed off to the front of the room.

Several seconds passed in silence before Kurama spoke up. "So when are the two of you planning on getting married?" He asked the fire apparition. "You've been together for three years now and there hasn't been any mention of a wedding."

Hiei shifted uncomfortably before responding with his trademark word. "Hn."

Staring at his friend, Kurama smiled. "Oh, so you have thought about it." He said with a slight chuckle. "And here I thought _human_ ceremonies were beneath you." Seeing Hiei's eyes narrow, Kurama held up his hands. "It was just a joke, no need to get so upset."

Kurama kept quiet for a few minutes and then decided to bring the subject up again. "So why haven't you asked Ani to marry you yet?" He asked curiously. "It can't just be because you don't want to participate in something so human, that girl gets you to do all kinds of human things, so what's the real reason you've never proposed?"

Hiei closed his eyes and sighed. "Because I'm not sure she wants to marry me." He said softly.

Eyes widening, Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but Hiei continued on.

"Sure we…love…each other, but she's never talked about our future together. She doesn't plan anything out for us like kids and a house the way other females do so that must mean she's not planning on staying with me." Hiei said slowly.

Kurama was shocked. First off he heard Hiei use the word 'love', even if he did almost choke on it, and second he actually paid attention to how other women act when they are in love. Giving his friend a smile, Kurama decided to help him along. "You know as well as I do that Ani is not like other women out there, so of course she acts differently in this situation." He said. "Did you ever stop to think that since she's still with you, even after three years, that maybe she's planning on sticking around? Most people won't stay in a relationship for that long unless they really want to be in it, so I think all your worrying is for nothing."

Hiei was silent for a moment while he thought over what Kurama had just said. 'That makes sense.' He thought with a nod. "Hn."

When Hiei didn't move, Kurama rolled his eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation?" Seeing Hiei's eyebrow raise, Kurama pointed over towards Ani. "Go and propose you idiot." Kurama smiled as Hiei began to walk over to his future wife. 'About time.' He thought with a smile.

Ani paused in her conversation with Keiko and looked up when she noticed Hiei standing next to her. Smiling, she threw her arm around him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Hey Hiei, what's up?" She asked. When Hiei refused to look her in the eye, Ani began to get worried. "Is something wrong? What happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Hiei pulled Ani away from his body and held her at arm's length.

Staring at her boyfriend, Ani was really beginning to get freaked out. "Hiei, what's wrong?" She asked softly.

Hiei took another deep breath and dropped to his knee. "Ani, will you marry me?" He asked quietly.

Ani blinked as she stared down at Hiei, and then blinked again before throwing herself into his arms with a smile. "Of course I will, I love you!" She cried happily. Hugging her fiancé, Ani buried her face in his chest and smiled. A few moments passed in silence when suddenly the whole room erupted into cheers.

"You go Hiei!" Yusuke said as he hugged his wife from behind.

"I'm happy for you." Keiko said with a smile.

Kuwabara was about to open his mouth, when he found it covered by Kurama's hand. "I don't think now is the proper time to be insulting him." Kurama said as he went over to the couple to congratulate them himself.

ooooo

Five months later Ani once again found herself in the small shop that sold wedding gowns. "Why am I here again?" Ani whined for the third time.

"Oh come on, don't you want to walk down the aisle in a beautiful white wedding gown." Keiko asked as she rummaged around through the dresses.

"Not particularly." Ani said with a shrug. "I was never into the whole white gown thing; I'd be just fine wearing some cargo pants and a t-shirt down the aisle."

Keiko gasped dramatically and shook her head. "Oh no, no, no. That will never do. We must find you the perfect dress, just like the one you found for me." Grabbing Ani by the hand, Keiko proceeded to drag her around the store. "Don't worry; I'm sure there's a perfect dress for you in here too. All we have to do is look harder."

Groaning, Ani was tempted to find a wall to beat her head against when she suddenly stopped. Walking over to the same corner she had originally found Keiko's dress, Ani pulled a hanger off the rack and stared.

"It's perfect for you." Keiko said in a soft whisper.

Ani could only nod as she ran her eyes over the strapless white dress that had intricate designs in black beads running down the sides. "Yes, it is." Ani said as she ran her hand over the beads. "It's perfect."

ooooo

Several months later Ani found herself at the altar with a somewhat uncomfortable looking Hiei. Smiling at her soon to be husband, Ani watched as he relaxed slightly.

"You may now kiss the bride." The preacher said as he smiled at the newly wedded couple.

The kiss was short and sweet, mainly because Ani knew how awkward it was for Hiei to kiss in public. Pulling back, Ani grabbed his hand and smiled out at their friends. Interlocking their fingers, Ani smiled when she felt her new wedding ring move on her finger. 'This is the happiest day of my life.' She thought as they walked down off the small stage to go and stand with their friends. 'And to think, this all happened because of a tree.'


End file.
